Endless Rain Vol. #01

What They SayAkira has lived a life of happiness with his gentle mother and little brother despite the fact his mother was the mistress of the committee head of the Kasuga Foundation. When his mother dies unexpectedly, he and his brother are moved to the headquarters of the Kasuga Foundation and put under the mercy of Hyogami, his father's proxy. Akira is desperate to protect his brother from the scandalous nature of their births no matter the cost. But Hyogami's demand is Akira himself!

The ReviewPackaging:

DMP does some nice looking books, no question, but this isn't one of them. The full-color dustjacket features a shot of Hyougami overpowering Akira while surrounded by flowers. The colors are lush and saturated, and the cover overall just jumps out and grabs the eye. It certainly helps that the colors in the frontpiece harmonize well with the pink June bar. Inside, however, things aren't quite as nice. The paper quality isn't DMP's highest, and neither is the print quality. While the blacks are fairly dark and screentone reproduction is overall very good, there were quite a few pages with muddy or slightly blurred lines and text. And while it might have been an isolated printing error, two pages of my copy were almost completely obscured with ink smears. DMP is capable of better than this.

Art:

Deep, soulful eyes, sweeping hair, and sharp, elegant faces dominate Yuuya's art. The overall effect is slick and polished, and likely to appeal to most BL readers. She's very good at using creative page layouts and dynamic angles - without a doubt, the art is the best part of this book.

Text/SFX:

I'm normally pretty forgiving, but this translation was plagued with stilted lines, portions that just didn't make much sense, and multiple typos throughout the book. A little more editorial care in the adaptation and layout phases would have gone a long way into making this a better book. All sound effects are translated, but while some were translated on the page in a font that closely matched the original, others were simply replaced with the English equivalent.

Contents (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):

Akira and Nao are the bastard sons of the chairman of the Kasuga Corporation, who has taken care of them from a distance until their mother died of a terminal illness. Akira is determined to provide for himself and for his blind younger brother, but Chairmain Kasuga has different plans. Without warning Akira finds his life turned inside out as the Kasuga Corporation seizes control of their living arrangements, the company Akira was supposed to work for, and even the hospital where Nao has been attending since he was small.

Adrift, Akira is given into the care of the brilliant but harsh Hyougami, who uses Akira as ruthlessly as he uses any other tool that comes to hand. And he's not the only one - Chairman Kasuga isn't above using his own son to seal a deal if that's what it takes. Akira has nothing left but the determination to protect his younger brother and ensure that he remains happy, no matter what.

As he gradually grows closer to Hyougami, the other man's true goals - and the ruthless steps he's willing to take to reach those goals - gradually becomes clear. Is Akira destined to be his partner in reaching those goals, or just one more tool to be used and discarded?

CommentsFilled with some of the least believable characters or situations I've read, lame plot devices, and what is quite possibly the most contrived ending ever to grace a BL book, there just really isn't much to recommend this one besides the art. Fans of noncon or melodrama may enjoy this one, but if you're interested in a higher caliber of BL title, keep looking.